World’s first electrified road network & Ford partners with Tesla & invests $9 billion in Indonesian mines and EV batteries

Here are some trending news topics in the automotive and mobility markets around the world.

We will carefully select three interesting news items from the automotive industry and present the information in a concise and easy-to-understand format to help you speedily understand the latest developments in this field. We will also feature news from overseas media and other sources.

Sweden to Build World’s First Electrified Road Network to Feed EVs When Driving

May 31, 2023

Sweden will be the first country in the world to build an “E-motorway” (power feed highway) that allows EVs to feed power while driving.

By 2025, the line will first be laid on a 20-kilometer section of the E20 line connecting Sweden’s major cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, and will be extended to 3,000 km by 2035.

Over the years, Sweden has tested three power feeding solutions for the E20 line: overhead wires for heavy-duty vehicles (catenary system), charging coils installed under the asphalt of the road (inductive system), and charging rails for electric trucks (conductive (ground system)). The power supply system has not yet been decided.

It is believed that if roads are electrified, not only will the driving range of EVs be extended, but the smaller battery packs will make cheaper EVs possible.

Source: Sweden is building the world’s first permanent electrified road for EVs to charge while driving | Euronews

Ford Partners with Tesla to Give Customers Access to EV Superchargers

May 25, 2023

Starting next year, Ford EV owners in the U.S. will have access to Tesla’s 12,000 Supercharger stations via the Ford mobile app.

The partnership was announced by Ford CEO Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a live stream on Twitter Spaces.

Farley also announced that Ford’s next-generation EVs will be built with Tesla-style charging ports, rather than the CCS chargers used by most other EV manufacturers, including General Motors, Audi, and Livian. Tesla charging stations outnumber CCS stations in the US.

Existing Ford electric vehicles will use adapters to access Tesla’s supercharger.

Last November, Musk invited other EV manufacturers to build vehicles that use Tesla’s charging ports, and Ford became the first major automaker to accept Musk’s offer.

Source: Ford partners with Tesla for access to EV Superchargers | CNN Business

Alliance of Foreign Companies Including Glencore Invests $9 Billion in Indonesian Mines and EV Batteries

A British consortium of companies, including Swiss mining giant Glencore, plans to invest about $9 billion in Indonesia’s mining and EV battery sectors, Indonesian Investment Minister Bahryl Rahadaria announced on March 31.

Indonesia, which has the world’s largest nickel reserves, is eager to develop related industries with the ultimate goal of producing batteries and vehicles for the world’s largest EV manufacturers.

The ministry revealed that the British consortium includes companies such as Glencore, Indonesian state-owned mining company Aneka Tambang (Antam), materials giant Umicore, and energy giant Envision Group.

Toto Nugroho, chief executive officer of state-owned battery company Indonesia Battery Corporation, said the investment is expected to help Indonesia enter the British and European markets.

The Indonesian government has banned the export of unprocessed nickel ore after 2020, while trying to attract global EV manufacturers such as Tesla and China’s BYD Group.

Source:. British consortium to invest $900 million in Indonesia mining, EV batteries, minister says | Reuters